The Incipience
by SabrinaScissorhands
Summary: Shisui was the first to die... and he still loved him, in all of this. /Uchiha Itachi and Shisui Friendship


**I thought of this on the bus this morning; couldn't get it out of my head.**  
**Overall, I am happy with this story.**  
**And I now have a slight fetish with Uchiha Shisui.**

_**And so begins the massacre.**_

* * *

"'Tachi!" The older boy cried, laughing. He pulled at his friend's—practically younger brother's—grip around his neck in vain.

Itachi smirked and pulled Shisui to the ground, falling down with him. His grip slipped from his neck as they tumbled to the floor. Laughter filled Itachi's small bedroom. Itachi looked over to his best friend, meeting his eyes.

"I win," Itachi declared, grinning.

"Yeah, yeah…" he muttered.

The boys were lying next to each other, lazily sprawled out. Shisui's hair fell like a halo around his head; Itachi's ponytail had fallen loose, and his hair was splayed messily in and around his face. Their laugher died down to silence after a moment. The older Uchiha glanced at the other. He reached over and gently touched his long, thin fingers. Itachi looked over.

"Itachi…"

"Yes, Shi?"

"I… have… a favour to ask of you…" Shisui looked down slightly. Itachi waited for him to continue. Shisui sat up, propping himself on his elbow, looking down at his younger best friend. "You know that ANBU mission we're supposed to do the day after tomorrow…?"—a nod from Itachi—"I really want you to ask if you can… step down from it…" He bit his lip, slightly nervous.

"Why? What's—no. Just why?" Itachi questioned, his dark eyes confused and, actually, a bit angry.

"'Tachi, don't be mad," Shisui could read Itachi's eyes like no one else, "I just don't want you to get hurt. It's a very dangerous S-Rank… not the usual. _Don't_, 'Tachi," he said when Itachi began to protest, "We all know you're the 'Uchiha Genius.'" He paused, taking a deep breath. "But you're still a child, 'Tachi. You're thirteen…. Please, just let this be a job for the elder ninja."

Itachi thought about arguing, saying things like, _But you're sixteen! You're a child, too_ and _I've been on tons of S-Ranks before_! But he knew that saying those things would only enforce his immaturity. He stayed silent, knowing Shisui would probably speak more.

"It really is dangerous… I bet you haven't even looked at the file yet…" Shisui shook his head, slightly scoldingly, "Please, for me, request to be dropped from the mission. I hate the idea of you being hurt."

Itachi was stunned to silence; not because of what his best friend had said but because of what he'd caused him to remember. His breath caught in his throat. "I… I…" The younger stuttered, knowing he had to force a reply. But his thoughts were _so_ loud. _He's trying to save me, and I'm… I'm_… "I won't… Shisui," he managed to get out, thought it was just above a whisper.

Shisui looked at Itachi curiously. He could see this wasn't about the mission; Itachi looked horrified, not angry anymore. Shisui reached out, touching Itachi's face. Itachi pulled away

"S-sorry, Shi…" he shook his head. "Sorry, I… I won't do the mission… thanks." He offered a small smile. Itachi shook off the sick feeling in his stomach with difficulty. He tried to just see his friend's face for the lively, happy way it was now and not the way it would be the next day.

"You look so spooked, 'Tachi. What's wrong?"

"N-nothing… I was just thinking about if I did get hurt… I wouldn't want to leave you or anything."

Shisui was sceptical of this but he accepted it despite. He turned to the dark, moonlit window. "Well, I'm tired now, Itachi. I'm going to sleep now."

"Right… 'Night, Shi."

**xxx-**

Itachi opened his eyes painfully. He hadn't slept well at all; dreams of him and Shisui, dead, filled his mind. He ran his fingers through his hair frustratedly, squeezing his eyes shut. Itachi didn't want to… to kill him. But… he had to.

The boy rolled over, looking to Shisui's silently sleeping body. His wild hair spiked up and down, falling in his face messily. His breathing was deep, his lips slightly parted.

_Not for long_! A daunting voice in his head taunted. Itachi put his hands over his face. He hated what was happening to him. The Uchiha elders' stupidity was causing him to have to murder his family. Nervous, he swallowed hard.

For a long time, Itachi stared at his older friend. He was innocent, so innocent. The younger had to restrain from reaching out to touch his face. He clenched his fingers together.

"Shi…" he couldn't stop the name from leaving his lips. It was a weak cry for help: anything but this, let him do anything besides kill Shi.

When the sun was consistently and thoroughly streaming in the window, Shisui began to stir. His black eyes opened slowly. Itachi felt his heart lurch at the sight of him. He must've glanced Shisui's way five hundred times while he slept, but seeing him awake for probably the last time ripped and tore through him like a blazing knife. His hand automatically flew to his chest. The older Uchiha did not notice, for he was yawning lazily.

"Morning, 'Tachi," Shisui said tiredly. He looked his friend over, pursing his lips. "You been up long?" He'd noticed the way Itachi's eyes and body were already alert.

"Hey, Shi…" Itachi licked his lips slightly, "Er… yeah… kinda…"

"You're acting strangely lately," Shisui commented lightly as he stood up. He shook his head some before fixing his hair with his fingers.

"We've been running a lot of ANBU missions of late… I guess I'm just tired…" Itachi could not meet his friend's eyes. Shi knew he was lying to him, but of course he would never call Itachi out. He never did. Lying wasn't something Itachi did often, so his friend never said anything about it. Shisui knew it had to be a good reason for Itachi to lie to him. The younger had always been grateful for this before.

But now Itachi so wanted him to say something.

_Shi… __**stop me**_. "Let's get something to eat," Itachi said softly, following Shisui out the door. Shisui nodded to his best friend and smiled.

"_Nii-san_!"

Itachi picked up his façade and carried on the day, trying to remain optimistic.

**xxx-**

Shisui's last day passed strangely for Itachi. It wasn't a blur, really. It was more like a collage of photos all laid out in sequential order. One snippet of an event after another. Each one was sharp and precise, but it lurched horribly with the next memory. The whole world seemed to be quiet around the two friends as if it was mourning right along with Itachi's silently crying soul. Even Sasuke didn't try to join in on their activities.

The sun was dipping down behind the horizon as the two friends walked in silence down the road. The shallow, calm river loomed ahead. The younger's face fell, and he stared at the ground wretchedly. Itachi was just beginning to get anxious when Shisui stopped walking. He lifted his face to his friend. Looking to him curiously, Itachi slowed to a stop.

"What is it… Shisui?"

"'Tachi, listen." He walked up to Itachi. Shisui reached out, gently touching his hand. "You know I usually put up with your B.S., but listen to me. There's something genuinely wrong with you now. I refuse to let it go."

_What do I tell him_? Itachi's mouth suddenly felt very dry. "I… come with me…" Itachi beckoned with his fingers to continue walking. Shisui followed Itachi silently. When they stepped onto the low bridge, the younger Uchiha began to speak.

"The Third and ANBU want me… to do something…" Itachi leaned forward against the low, stone edge of the bridge. Shisui came next to him. He gave Itachi a sidelong glance, bidding him to continue. Itachi blinked quickly a few times. "I don't want to do it… I very much don't want to…" Itachi closed his eyes.

"…What is it?"

He swallowed hard. "I can't… tell you."

"Right. Well… can I help?"

Itachi felt tears building under his closed eyelids. "No," he whispered shakily.

"'Tachi…" Shisui leaned forward, looking at Itachi's face. "'Tachi! 'Tachi, don't cry…. It's okay, whatever it is… it's for the good of the Village if the Hokage wants you to do it…"

"But you're so innocent," Itachi gasped weakly, pushing himself up to look at Shisui.

"I… what?" Shisui stared blankly at Itachi for a few seconds. Then his eyes widened. "Itachi, no. No! I wouldn't… I wouldn't… to you…"

"Shi…" Tears streamed heavily down his face as he whipped his arm around, throwing him off the side of the bridge. Itachi followed instantaneously, landing overtop of his best friend.

"Itachi! Stop!" he cried just before he was shoved underwater. He clawed at Itachi's arms, fiercely digging his nails into Itachi's arms.

But he hardly noticed. The tears in his eyes blurred out the scene before him of Shisui's hair billowing around his face, the water tinting his face blue. Itachi held him down, his thin fingers pushing him down just far enough that he couldn't breath. Itachi gasped for air like he was the one drowning. Everything was crumbling apart under his hands, his murderous hands.

The younger boy leaned down so that his face was just over the water.

"I'm so sorry, Shi…" He cried quietly, desperately. His mouth was open with silent sobs tearing through him. Itachi couldn't meet Shisui's eyes as they slowly dulled from his lack of oxygen.

"'Tachi!" Shisui screamed from under the water.

Itachi could feel the grip on his arms slackening. _Hold on, Shi… if only you could live_… Tremors tore through Itachi. The tears in the thirteen-year-old's eyes cleared for just a moment, giving him an image that would haunt him: Shi's eyes looked like they were crying—even from underwater—his hair flowing around his face, and then there were his eyes. His eyes were the worst. Besides the fact that they looked like he was crying, they were filled with betrayal. But moreover _love_. Shisui still loved him. Even in this. But Itachi knew he couldn't let him go. He closed his eyes for a moment, imagining himself just letting him go with a simple _Just kidding!_. But that would never happen. When Itachi opened his eyes once more, he could only bring himself to do one thing.

"I love you, Shisui…" He swallowed painfully.

A few tormenting minutes later, Shisui's previously-lively grey eyes fell shut limply. His fingers completely lost their grip on Itachi's arm, and he slowly fell to the shallow depth of the small river. Itachi slowly stood up, looking with horror at his friend. He took a deep breath.

And as he walked away, the last image he saw of Shisui was through the Mangekyou.


End file.
